This patent is directed to a vibratory apparatus having at least two eccentric assemblies resiliently mounted to a deck, the operation of the two eccentric assemblies causing material to move relative to the deck.
Certain vibratory apparatuses are built by attaching an eccentric assembly directly to a trough, and operating the eccentric assembly to cause movement of materials in the trough relative to the trough. For example, a pair of motors may be fixedly attached to a trough, with at least one eccentric attached to each of the motors. By varying the operation of the motors (e.g., turning one off while the other is one), materials may be moved from one end of the trough to the other.
In the alternative, the motors may be attached to the trough through a coil spring, for example. This arrangement (also referred to as a two-mass system) may have advantages relative to the arrangement where the motors are attached directly to the trough (also referred to as a single mass, or brute force, system). Less energy may be required, because energy is used and stored in the springs. The two-mass system may also be more flexible in addressing changes in material, such as weight or density.
While two-mass systems may provide certain advantages over single-mass systems, not all two-mass configurations provide the same performance, and certain two-mass configurations provide advantages over other two-mass configurations It would be advantageous to overcome or substantially ameliorate one or more of the disadvantages of existing two-mass vibratory apparatuses in a two-mass configurations of novel and inventive design and/or control, or at least to provide a useful alternative.